While no one quite knew what to expect in a hit-or-miss chance forecast of snow across Sampson County, the possible danger of freezing rain, ice and a wintry mix of snow and sleet predicted for late Friday afternoon forced early release at local schools, an earlier publication deadline for The Sampson Independent and the brining of Sampson roadways. And a call for precaution and staying off the roadways went out for both Friday night and again for today, just in case.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Sampson County began prepping for the arctic weather, with road crews placing salt brine on heavily traveled roadways. Both Sampson and Clinton City School systems were placed on a two-hour early dismiss Friday, and several small businesses in the area announced early closings. Sampson County government offices even closed early on Friday.
While most of the bad weather will have moved on by today, there will still be a chance of rain, with wind gusts of close to 20 mph, along with freezing temperatures at night.
James Danco, meteorologist with National Weather Service out of Raleigh, said the bad weather should be over by the time residents of Sampson County wake up this morning, with the wintry mix from Friday mostly gone.
“It could start as a little bit of brief snow or sleet, but it will change very quickly over to freezing rain and then just rain as we get later into the day. I think that far southeast, the impact won’t be that significant, but there will be some slick spots on the road, but temps will change over to rain,” he noted.
Danco further stated the precipitation should move out today, and be dry. “But don’t be surprised if there’s nothing down there but wet grounds and roads. We have a winter weather advisory in Sampson County. Please be cautious when driving, but Saturday afternoon we should be back to normal.”
“We encourage people to stay home, look at the forecast,” said Sampson County Emergency Management Director Rick Sauer. “We’ve been in contact with NCDOT, and the weather service, and just encourage everyone to stay home and wait things out.”
As a reminder, Sampson County Public Transportation will be closed over the weekend as usual, so there will not be any special transportation services.
Due to the severe winter weather conditions, convenience sites in Sampson County, which closed early on Friday, will reopen today at 11 a.m.
For a non-emergency concerns or questions, the contact number for Sampson County Emergency Services is 910-592-8996. The non-emergency phone number for the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office is 910-592-4141, and Clinton Police Department is 910-592-3105. In the event of a real emergency, please dial 911.
Both Sauer and Danco said slick spots of black ice will still potentially plague the roadways in spots, and both men urged using caution if anyone has to drive today.
But there is sun at the end of an icy tunnel, as Sampson County moves into Sunday. Weather forecasters are calling for the sun to return, with a high of 44 and a low of 25, allowing those who want to get out to go to church, or to lunch to do so, but caution is still advised.